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    SSH 105 Course Outline Fall 2015

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    Alex Jones
    This document provides information about the SSH 105: Critical Thinking I course offered in Fall 2015 at Ryerson University. The course is taught by Dr. Klaas Kraay and aims to teach students skills in rational discourse and assessing arguments. It is required for some programs. The textbook is selected chapters from Richard Feldman's Reason and Argument. Grades are based on three quizzes and a final exam. The course meets weekly for lectures and tutorials. Office hours and supported learning groups are also available for students. The policies cover communication, alternate arrangements, student codes of conduct, and the course schedule.

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    SSH 105 Course Outline Fall 2015

    Uploaded by

    Alex Jones
    1K views4 pages
    This document provides information about the SSH 105: Critical Thinking I course offered in Fall 2015 at Ryerson University. The course is taught by Dr. Klaas Kraay and aims to teach students skills in rational discourse and assessing arguments. It is required for some programs. The textbook is selected chapters from Richard Feldman's Reason and Argument. Grades are based on three quizzes and a final exam. The course meets weekly for lectures and tutorials. Office hours and supported learning groups are also available for students. The policies cover communication, alternate arrangements, student codes of conduct, and the course schedule.

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    Ryerson

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    This document provides information about the SSH 105: Critical Thinking I course offered in Fall 2015 at Ryerson University. The course is taught by Dr. Klaas Kraay and aims to teach students skills in rational discourse and assessing arguments. It is required for some programs. The textbook is selected chapters from Richard Feldman's Reason and Argument. Grades are based on three quizzes and a final exam. The course meets weekly for lectures and tutorials. Office hours and supported learning groups are also available for students. The policies cover communication, alternate arrangements, student codes of conduct, and the course schedule.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    1K views4 pages

    SSH 105 Course Outline Fall 2015

    Uploaded by

    Alex Jones
    This document provides information about the SSH 105: Critical Thinking I course offered in Fall 2015 at Ryerson University. The course is taught by Dr. Klaas Kraay and aims to teach students skills in rational discourse and assessing arguments. It is required for some programs. The textbook is selected chapters from Richard Feldman's Reason and Argument. Grades are based on three quizzes and a final exam. The course meets weekly for lectures and tutorials. Office hours and supported learning groups are also available for students. The policies cover communication, alternate arrangements, student codes of conduct, and the course schedule.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
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    of 4

    SSH 105: Critical Thinking I (Fall 2015)

    Instructor:
    Course Email:
    Phone:
    Office:
    Office Hours:

    Dr. Klaas Kraay


    [email protected]
    416.979.5000 ext.6165
    JOR-416
    Thursdays 10:00-11:45, or by appointment.

    Calendar Description:
    Rational discourse has long been viewed as a principal force for social change. In this course, we
    will examine the structures and principles that undergird all forms of rational discourse, and we
    will learn how to assess the logical strength and persuasiveness of particular discourses. These
    skills will be applied to arguments found in everyday life, and to the formulation of ones own
    positions.
    SSH 105 is a required course for students in several programs at Ryerson, and only students
    registered in those programs may take it. If you are not in one of the programs that requires
    SSH105, you may not receive academic credit for this course.
    Textbook:
    The required textbook is a special printing of seven chapters selected from
    Richard Feldmans Reason and Argument. It is available at the Ryerson
    Bookstore, and you can buy it in person or online.
    There are other sections of SSH105 that use different textbooks. Please make
    sure to buy the right one.

    Grading Scheme:

    Grades will be determined in the following manner:


    Task
    Quiz #1
    Quiz #2
    Quiz #3
    Final Exam

    Value
    15 %
    20 %
    30 %
    35 %

    Dates
    Thursday, Oct. 1
    Thursday, Oct. 29
    Thursday, Nov. 19
    tba

    For a table showing the correspondence between letter-grades, percentage scale, and grade
    point average (GPA), see www.ryerson.ca/calendar/2015-2016/pg18.html.

    Course Meeting Times for SSH 105:

    The two-hour class period on Thursdays will be used for lectures, discussion, and for the
    three scheduled quizzes.

    Each student is assigned to one tutorial group, which meets for one hour each week.
    (Your class schedule will tell you when and where your group meets.) This session will be
    used for review and practice of course material.

    Attendance in your tutorial is mandatory. Attendance will be taken every week, and 1%
    will be deducted from your final grade for each illegitimate absence.

    It is not possible to switch tutorial groups informally: any switching must be done by
    officially changing sections at my.ryerson.ca, and the last date to do this is Friday,
    September 18th.

    Your TA will hold one office hour per week, and you will be informed of the time and
    location. Prof. Kraays office hours will be held on Thursdays from 10:00-11:45 in
    JOR-416, or by appointment. You are all encouraged to visit these office hours at any time
    during the semester if you have questions, comments, concerns, or suggestions about any
    aspect of SSH 105.

    Supported Learning Groups


    Supported Learning Groups (SLGs) are free study and review sessions available for all students
    enrolled in SSH105. They are led by peer leaders. These sessions are an opportunity to work
    through the course content at your own pace, to practice problems, and to learn study strategies.
    All sessions will be held on the 4th floor of the Student Learning Centre. The full schedule and
    locations will be posted to the course shell in early September.
    Course Policies for SSH 105:
    Email

    You are welcome to email me at [email protected] if necessary, but please understand that I
    am teaching 800 students this semester, and so it is not possible for me to have lengthy
    discussions about course content over email. If you need individual assistance in SSH105,
    you should come to my office hours or your TAs office hours.

    You must use your Ryerson email account to email me.

    Here is some useful useful advice on how to draft a professional email.

    Use of Electronic Devices in Class


    The use of electronics, including laptops and cell phones, will not be permitted in this class
    unless the student can provide a legitimate argument for why he or she needs to use such a
    device, and the instructor has given written permission for such an exception. Detailed reasons
    for this policy will be given during the first lecture.

    Alternate Arrangements

    Students are required to inform their instructors of any situation which may have an adverse
    effect upon their academic performance, and must request any accommodations according
    to the relevant policies and well in advance. Failure to do so will jeopardize any academic
    appeals.

    Students shall inform their instructor, in advance, when they will miss an exam, test or
    assignment deadline. When circumstances do not permit this (e.g. in an emergency) the
    student must inform the instructor as soon as possible. Alternate arrangements may include
    the setting of a make-up test, transferring the weight of a missed assignment to the final
    examination or extending a deadline. Ryerson Universitys complete policy concerning
    alternate arrangements for medical and compassionate reasons may be found at
    www.ryerson.ca/content/dam/senate/policies/pol134.pdf.
    Medical Considerations: In order for alternate arrangements to be made on medical
    grounds, a student must provide, within three working days, (1) a Ryerson Medical
    Certificate and (2) an Academic Consideration Form. Both documents must be submitted to
    the students program department. They can be found here:
    www.ryerson.ca/senate/forms/medical.pdf.
    Religious Observance: If a student needs accommodation due to religious observance, he
    or she must submit (1) a Request for Accommodation of Student Religious, Aboriginal and
    Spiritual Observance Form and (2) an Academic Consideration Form, within the first two
    weeks of classes, or, for a final examination, within two weeks of the posting of the
    examination schedule. If the required absence occurs within the first two weeks of classes,
    or the dates are not known well in advance as they are linked to other conditions, these
    forms should be submitted with as much lead time as possible in advance of the required
    absence. Forms must be submitted to the students program department. They can be found
    here: www.ryerson.ca/senate/forms/relobservforminstr.pdf.
    Compassionate Considerations: In order for alternate arrangements to be made on
    compassionate grounds, the student must deliver, within three working days, an Academic
    Consideration Form, along with appropriate documentation (if necessary), to the students
    program department. This form can be found here:
    www.ryerson.ca/content/dam/senate/forms/academic_consideration_document_submis
    sion.pdf.

    Alternate arrangements will only be made on the basis of circumstances that are both
    (1) legitimate and (2) unforeseeable. Some examples of circumstances that typically fail to
    meet one or both of these conditions are: extra-curricular activities, employment obligations,
    multiple deadlines, and computer malfunctions.

    Student Codes of Conduct

    For detailed information concerning academic misconduct and the relevant penalties, see
    Ryersons Student Code of Academic Conduct: www.ryerson.ca/senate/policies/pol60.pdf.
    See also Ryersons Academic Integrity Website: www.ryerson.ca/academicintegrity/.

    Ryerson Universitys Student Code of Non-Academic Conduct covers, among other offences,
    disruption of learning and teaching. This includes the disruptive use of electronic
    equipment. For more information, see: www.ryerson.ca/studentcode/#conduct.

    Course Schedule for SSH 105:

    Week
    1

    Lecture
    Date
    Sept. 10th

    Provisional Topic and Required Reading

    Other

    Feldman, Chapter 1: Introduction

    Sept. 17th

    Feldman, Chapter 2: Truth and Rationality

    Sept. 24th

    Feldman, Chapter 3: Well-Formed Arguments

    Oct. 1st

    Oct. 8th

    Sept. 18th: final date


    to add/swap
    courses and
    sections.

    Quiz #1 (15%)
    Feldman, Chapter 4: Strong Arguments

    Oct. 12-16: Fall Reading Week (NO CLASSES)


    6

    Oct. 22nd

    Oct. 29th

    Nov. 5th
    12th

    Feldman, Chapter 5: Reconstructing Arguments

    Answers to Quiz #1
    during this weeks
    tutorials.

    Quiz #2 (20%)
    Feldman, Chapter 6:
    Details of Argument Reconstruction
    Feldman, Chapter 7: Evaluating Arguments

    Nov.

    10

    Nov. 19th

    11

    Nov. 26th

    More on Evaluating Arguments; Fallacies

    12

    Dec. 3rd

    Remaining material and Course Review

    Quiz #3 (30%)

    December 8th-19th: Final Exam Period


    See: www.ryerson.ca/currentstudents/academics/exams/.

    Answers to Quiz #2
    during this weeks
    tutorials.
    Nov. 20th: final date
    to drop a course.

    Answers to Quiz #3
    during this weeks
    tutorials.
    Final Exam
    (3 hours; 35%)

    Faculty/Course Surveys will be administered during weeks 9 through 12. Details to follow.

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